This year, Rolls 'n' Bowls took over a former Quiznos in an Old Metairie strip mall. When it did, it moved the city one step closer to that happy state where a hunger for a banh mi could be satisfied no matter the neighborhood.

The restaurant is a family affair. The recipes are from Sam Vu, who in the late 1990s ran the West Bank restaurants Saigon and Thanh Thao. The pho has a deep, fragrant broth. The nearly dozen spring roll variations include tofu, shiitake mushrooms and lemongrass chicken. A special section of entrees are aimed at non-meat eaters. The decorating choices, -- it looks like a page from a Design Within Reach catalog -- clearly came from the younger generation.